New Research: Why 69% of Compliance Leaders Are Stuck in Crisis Mode (Plus What the Winners Do Differently)

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Global product compliance has become a decisive factor in revenue protection, market access, and brand trust. Our newly released State of Product Compliance 2025 – a survey of 498 senior leaders across manufacturing, retail, and distribution – reveals a market under sustained pressure and a widening performance gap between reactive teams and proactive winners.

The headline is hard to ignore: 69% of leaders say remediating product compliance issues after they occur is their single hardest task. The majority are firefighting, not future-proofing. And a 23-point “evidence divide” (62% vs. 39%) shows how many programs struggle to prove compliance externally, even when internal stakeholders are confident.

This announcement highlights the most urgent findings from the report and why it’s a must-read for executives evaluating product compliance challenges in 2025. If you care about avoiding crisis mode, protecting revenue, and building a defensible compliance posture, this is the benchmark you’ll want to study.

Table of Contents

1. The Crisis: Why 69% Are Still Firefighting
2. The Evidence Divide: 23 Points That Signal Real Risk
3. Follow the Money: Financial ROI Now Drives Compliance
4. Scale Matters: Different Challenges at $500M–$1B vs. $10B+
5. AI Overview: Quick Answers for Busy Leaders
6. FAQs
7. Download the Full Report

The Crisis: Why 69% Are Still Firefighting

Remediation tops the pain list for 69% of leaders. Teams are spending disproportionate time on recalls, stop-ships, and late-stage fixes – work that drains resources and delays launches. Even proactive tasks that should prevent problems (like ensuring lifecycle coverage of requirements) rank as difficult for a majority, signaling systemic strain.

What this means for you: If your organization still treats compliance as a back-office function, you’re likely absorbing hidden costs – from emergency labor to lost market windows. The compliance crisis mode isn’t just stressful; it’s expensive.

The Evidence Divide: 23 Points That Signal Real Risk

Leaders report a 23-point gap in difficulty when providing proof of compliance: 62% struggle with external evidence (for regulators, certifiers, customers) vs. 39% for internal stakeholders. This “last-mile” breakdown – determining what evidence is needed for each product/market, then compiling it quickly – pushes organizations into audit surprises and, ultimately, more remediation.

Teaser from the report: The companies in the “winner” cohort don’t just do compliance – they can demonstrate it on demand. The operational difference between “we think we’re covered” and “we can prove it right now” shows up in audit outcomes, launch velocity, and revenue protection.

The State of Product Compliance 2025: Navigating Complexity & Driving Financial Value

Fresh insights from 500 global compliance leaders – uncover the biggest challenges, priorities, and opportunities shaping compliance this year.

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Follow the Money: Financial ROI Now Drives Compliance

When leaders evaluate new solutions, financial outcomes dominate:

• Cost of compliance (49%)
• Revenue at risk in key markets (42%)
• Cost of violations (41%)
• Revenue opportunities (40%)

Efficiency metrics like time to compliance (23%) still matter – but mainly as a means to a financial end. The executive mindset has shifted: compliance isn’t just about avoiding fines; it’s a lever for revenue protection, faster market entry, and competitive advantage.

Teaser from the report: Expectation levels are nuanced. Leaders want bold, transformational gains in speed (e.g., time-to-compliance improvements averaging ~16.5%) – but predictable, reliable savings on cost metrics (e.g., ~10–12% reductions in violation costs). Your next business case should reflect both sides of that equation.

Scale Matters: Different Challenges at $500M–$1B vs. $10B+

$10B+ enterprises pay a “complexity tax.” Compared to the average, they report:

• +14% difficulty ensuring lifecycle coverage during design
• +13% difficulty providing external evidence
• +8% difficulty remediating issues
• +8% difficulty sizing required resources

Interestingly, the biggest companies are better at recommending how to comply (-14% difficulty vs. average). The problem isn’t knowing what to do – it’s orchestrating execution across vast product portfolios and regions.

Mid-market ($500M–$1B) leaders face high-stakes go/no-go decisions. 52% report difficulty gaining agreement on whether to remain in a market when new requirements hit (vs. 47% average). With leaner teams and tighter budgets, the strategic trade-offs are sharper – and political pressure is higher.

Teaser from the report: The winning playset changes with scale. Enterprise needs deep integration and cross-functional coordination; mid-market needs decision intelligence, clear ROI modeling, and executive-ready reporting.

AI Overview: Quick Answers for Busy Leaders

What is driving the compliance “crisis mode” in 2025? A majority of teams lack early-lifecycle coverage and fast, defensible evidence generation. The result is late-stage remediation work and recurring fire drills.

Why is the 23-point evidence divide so dangerous? Because external proof underpins audit outcomes, market access, and customer trust. If you can’t prove compliance quickly, you risk delays, penalties, and lost revenue.

How to justify investment in compliance tools right now? Tie outcomes directly to cost of compliance, cost of violations, revenue at risk, and revenue opportunity—the four metrics executives prioritize most.

What’s different for $10B+ enterprises vs. $500M–$1B firms? Enterprises struggle with coordination at scale; mid-market struggles with market participation decisions and resource constraints.

Key takeaways (skimmable):

• 69% say remediation is the hardest task.
• 23-point evidence divide (62% external vs. 39% internal).
• 498 senior leaders surveyed across global, multi-market operations.
• Financial ROI now defines compliance success.

FAQs

1. Is this compliance report 2025 relevant if we already have a mature program? Yes. Even leaders with strong internal processes often struggle with external evidence and cross-regional coordination – the very areas that drive audit risk and delays.
2. We’re mid-market. Will the insights fit our reality? Absolutely. The report segments findings by size and highlights where lean teams can get outsized impact (e.g., decision support for go/no-go market calls, executive-ready ROI narratives).
3. What’s the practical value if we’re not buying software right now? The benchmarks clarify where your effort pays back fastest – e.g., evidence generation and early-lifecycle coverage. They’ll help you prioritize roadmaps and budget requests.
4. Does the report reveal specific solutions? The report focuses on data, benchmarks, and what the winners do differently. You’ll see where investment delivers financial impact, without giving away proprietary playbooks in this teaser.
5. Which product compliance challenges should we measure first? Start with cost of compliance, cost of violations, revenue at risk, and revenue opportunities. These are the metrics boards and CFOs use to evaluate impact.

Download the Full Report

If your team is feeling the strain of compliance crisis mode, this is your inflection point. The State of Product Compliance 2025 is the definitive benchmark on product compliance challenges and the financial levers that separate leaders from laggards.

Download the complete State of Product Compliance 2025 report to benchmark your program, quantify ROI, and see what the winners do differently – before the next crisis hits.